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Examples Of Poverty In The Great Gatsby

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The use of wealth and poverty is used all throughout the novel. The poverty is mainly shown through the valley of ashes. The valley of ashes can be seen today in many cities. Fitzgerald gives the reader more and more information about what happens when an area decays. In this passage in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses various literary elements to demonstrate the side effects that come with decay of an area. To begin, Fitzgerald uses imagery to demonstrate the economic decay of the valley. This passage introduces the valley of ashes. This passage is describing the valley as Nick and Tom pass by in a train. “Ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling …show more content…

The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg are used several times throughout the book. This is the first time that the reader is introduced to them. “But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a mom, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg… They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose”(27). The eyes in this passage are used to symbolize the upper class. The eyes like the upper class, look out over the valley, but do nothing to improve its situation. The people that live outside the valley of ashes have no interest in helping the people that are struggling to live inside the valley of ashes. Later on in the passage Nick goes on a train and describes what it's like, “The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on the waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as an hour”(28). The train is almost like a window peering into the valley of ashes. Many people using the train stare out at the valley and know the kind of condition that it is in, but they don't do anything about it. Many outsiders that ride the train have the ability to help the valley of ashes but they choose not to. Consequently, Fitzgerald uses symbolism to represent the lack of desire of outsiders to help the impoverished valley of

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1. The Valley of Ashes is the farm land or almost like a wasteland filled with ashes that separates the wealth of the East and West Egg Village. 2. “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic — their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (Fitzgerald 23).

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In the beginning of Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator of the book takes a train ride through the unpleasant area between East and West Egg, known as the valley of ashes. He describes the valley as a “desolate area of land” and “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens.” The imagery Nick provides the reader with serves two purposes. Firstly, it’s unsettling. The colorful world that Nick is used to, living among the wealthy in West Egg, is transformed into a wasteland of gray ash here where the poor reside.

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The author introduces the desolate land known as the valley of ashes, which is far from the lavish lives lived in the Eggs’. When introducing this dark and eerie slice of land, Fitzgerald incorporates imagery in helping develop his theme relating to the Roaring 20’s and the American Dream. Nick begins to explain the valley of ashes in discrete detail. “This is the valley of ashes--- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses…” ( 23). In this excerpt from the text, not only does Fitzgerald use many forms of imagery, but he incorporates diction that helps develop his theme as well as a simile.

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The typical perception of the “Roaring 20’s” is viewed as a glamorous and grandiose era. However, many are unaware of the realization of corrupt dealings concealed by the joyfulness and carelessness of this era. The idea of the 1920’s being an ideal time to have lived in is a matter that spectators have disagreed upon over the decades. In Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby,” he contradicts the typical perception of the “Roaring 20’s” by gloomy descriptions, a wistful journey, and a desperate trek to win over a “golden girl.” Despite the novel's setting in the ideal “Roaring 20’s,” Fitzgerald establishes a gloomy tone through the dismal diction used to describe the Valley of Ashes and the decrepit, eerie billboard overlooking the whole sad area.

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Fitzgerald’s portrayal of the American Dream in the novel both compares and contrasts to that of Hughes’ portrayal in the poem through the usage of the literary devices of imagery, tone, and symbolism. Through the usage of imagery, The Great Gatsby paints a bleak picture of the failure of The American Dream on a disadvantaged group, while “I Too, Sing America” portrays it as something that can be improved upon. In the novel, a stretch of desolate land created as the result of industrial waste is described as “...a valley of ashes...where ashes grow like...grotesque gardens (Fitzgerald 23)”. This powerful imagery described the valley of ashes as a wasteland and a failure of the American Dream. The

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It symbolizes poverty, and the population of Manhattan that is not rich and self indulged in their personal lives. The Valley of Ashes is described as a dumping ground, Nick even explains how it’s “bounded on one side by a small foul river, and, when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour” (27). This is completely opposite to places like West Egg, where most of the novel is taken place. Everything is luxurious and fast paced, comparing these two places opens up many symbols in the reader's mind, like poverty and the fact that not every American at that time could live as Gatsby can, for instance.

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In, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows his mastery of literary elements through themes in the book. A few prominent themes in this book would be: decay and the past. This theme is shown through symbolism and characterization, along with character development, throughout the book. Decay and the past in this book are represented extremely well through symbolism. A huge symbol in this book is the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg watching over the valley of ashes.

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The valley of ashes is quite simply put the “dumping ground” (24) of the rich. Therefore, the valley symbolizes the disregard for others by the few people that have actually accomplished the Dream. For most people, the Dream may seem plausible, however it is just a fantasy. Fate abruptly pulls anyone trying to climb out back into the valley, or worse.

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“So who’s your favorite author?” I guess you figured since all we knew about each other was that we shared a similar goal to pursue nonconformity, a few brief introductory questions were not totally out of the ordinary. (Although, in retrospect, I do not think normal people begin with “Who is your favorite author?”) Nevertheless, I answered, “Fitzgerald.” A look of disinterest and revived curiosity fused together on your face,and I tried to solve the puzzle before you could criticize me for being cliche.

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Satire in The Great Gatsby Is Fitzgerald's novel a love story that exposes the American ideals, or may it be a satire that highlights troubles throughout the American Society in the twenties? The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald uses satire to comment on the American society during the roaring twenties. Satire is visible through the contrast between Jay Gatsby and George Wilson, but most importantly through the Valley of Ashes and Gatsby’s parties. Using these characters and places, Fitzgerald shows the American dream has died and been replaced with the pursuit of money, rather than happiness.

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The valley of ashes also symbolizes the difficulties of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result. THE EYES OF DOCTOR T. J. ECKLEBURG Another dominant symbol within this novel is the billboard eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg which is in the middle of the valley of ashes, right next to Wilson’s garage staring at the waste that careless capitalism has

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1034 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the story, Fitzgerald uses three vastly different geographical areas to show the separation between classes. The Valley of Ashes, where the poor live, is described as a “desolate area of land ... [where] spasms of bleak dust drift endlessly” (Fitzgerald 23). The poor people are trapped here, and no matter how hard they work, they can never escape this grim existence. The idea of no social mobility, and having no control over one's life, reflects the Naturalist view of society.

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1558 Words | 7 Pages

This is accomplished through the use of symbols such as the Valley of Ashes, The Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, and The Green Light. These 3 symbols play a huge roll in the novel for each of them are massively important in their own ways. Mid-way between New York City and West Egg, lies the Valley of Ashes. The Valley of Ashes is a dreary place symbolizing the moral descent of society. As described in the novel it is, “A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.”

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Fitzgerald uses myriad symbols such as a valley of ashes, a billboard, and a green light across the bay from Gatsby’s mansion, to convey his themes and influence the plot. A valley of ashes is used to convey the theme of the inequality of wealth that was so widespread in the 1920s. Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, and Nick Carroway go on a drive to visit Tom’s mistress. Myrtle lives in an apartment above her husband’s workshop, in the coal and ash covered mining town on the outskirts of New York City. Fitzgerald, in narrator Nick

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In the 1920’s, social classes were divided with a large gap. The poor wanted nothing to do with the rich, and the rich wanted even less to do with the poor. In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he uses the class structure in the 1920’s to redefine poverty. While the rich people in the novel are material rich, they are still “poor” socially and psychologically. Poverty is shown in a differently in this book than other books being written in this time era, and in doing this, it shows the rich what they are, and how they treat others from a different perspective.

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